Product Backlog Refinement Flashcards
7 cards from real CST practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Product Backlog Refinement flashcards as text
The 'Definition of Ready' (DoR) is sometimes used to gatekeep items entering a Sprint. What is the main risk of enforcing a strict DoR?
Answer: It can become a bureaucratic barrier that slows delivery and violates Scrum's empirical nature
A rigid DoR can create a mini-waterfall 'analysis phase' and reduce team agility by blocking imperfect but workable items.
During refinement, the team consistently finds that items near the top of the backlog have poor acceptance criteria. This is best addressed by:
Answer: Coaching the Product Owner to collaborate with Developers when writing acceptance criteria
Acceptance criteria quality improves through collaborative Product Owner–Developer conversations, not unilateral writing.
A team using Planning Poker during refinement reaches wildly divergent estimates. What should happen next?
Answer: Facilitators reveal the cards, high and low estimators share reasoning, then re-estimate
Divergent estimates indicate differing assumptions; discussion surfaces those differences before re-estimating.
Non-functional requirements (e.g., performance, security) are best handled in the Product Backlog by:
Answer: Incorporating them into the Definition of Done and/or individual backlog items where relevant
Non-functional requirements should be woven into the DoD and explicitly noted on relevant backlog items to ensure they are always met.
An item that is too large to complete in a single Sprint is called an:
Answer: Epic
An epic is a large user story that must be broken down into smaller stories before it can be pulled into a Sprint.
How does backlog refinement contribute to accurate Sprint velocity over time?
Answer: It ensures all items are estimated the same way, reducing estimation drift
Consistent refinement and estimation practices reduce variance, making velocity a more reliable forecasting tool.
A Product Owner is refining backlog items with only the Scrum Master present. Developers are not included. What problem does this create?
Answer: Estimates and technical insight from Developers are missing, reducing refinement quality
Developers bring technical knowledge essential for realistic estimates and identification of risks during refinement.